Claire had quietly been talking with Friday for awhile now before she finally hung up and came back in.

"Is she still out?" She asked first, not wanting to stress her out.

And sure enough, she was. She was curled up against him, still sound asleep.

Matt nodded solemnly. He was glad Kasey was still asleep, having been worried restless that she'd panic upon waking up. "Any news from Tony's AI?"

He had a cold feeling in his stomach, one that told him she'd heard nothing but bad news.

She took a deep breath. "Friday lost contact with Tony." She told him. "She can't detect them either... They don't have anyone that can help."

So it was true. They had gotten themselves into trouble and didn't have anyone able to help. He didn't dare wake Kasey and tell her, more afraid now that she'd want to run off and help. "This is so screwed up.."

Claire nodded. "It really is... But what do we do?" She asked him. "Kasey can't go in her state, you can't go in yours either..."

"Shouldn't one of Tony's friends be able to help? I know they had some sorta falling out, but still-?" Matt asked. Then again, he had no idea how to reach any of them.

Claire shrugged. "You would think Friday would've called them first, right?" She pointed out.

"Yeah, I hope she would've." Matt admitted, subconsciously keeping one arm protectively over Kasey.

Kasey let a small rumble come from her as she shifted a bit, happily content with Matt keeping her close.

Claire smiled faintly at that. "...What do we do when she wakes up?"

"Try to keep her calm as long as we can. I don't think I'll bring it up to her unless she asks." Matt frowned. "It's too stressful."

Claire nodded again. "I agree...I just wish there was something we could do..."

"If my leg wasn't screwed up as bad as it was, I'd be out there helping them."he felt almost guilty.

"I know... But that's not your fault." She reminded him. "Besides, Kasey needs you here." She pointed out.

"I know she'll freak out when she finds out but had you been able to go too, I feel like it'd only make it worse..."

"Yeah, you're right. The last thing she needs would be me disappearing on her too." Matt's heart ached at the thought of her being alone. He just prayed the other two could get out on their own.

"Especially right now..." She agreed. "I don't know if I could calm her down on my own..."

As much as Matt knew Claire was capable of a lot of things, he didn't know if she could handle Kasey. "It's not an easy job."

She chuckled a bit. "Yeah, it seems that way." She agreed.

"Believe me, I have full confidence in your ability to do a lot of things. I think she's just... attached to me." It was his first time saying it out loud, and it sort of struck him.

Claire raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk coming to her face. "Oh, is she? I hadn't noticed." She replied, her voice sarcastic and teasing.

"It's not like she's been glued to your side for the past week or anything-"

"To be fair I didn't really plan on having anyone get attached to me, so I never really considered it an option-" He defended himself.

"Oh? What about Foggy? Or Karen? Hmm?" She asked him. "They may not be this attached to you but I'd certainly consider them attached."

"Hey, Foggy came pre-attached. Karen... that's a different story. She doesn't claim to want to live with me, and doesn't crave physical attention." Matt shot back with a smirk.

"Pre-attached? Didn't you meet in college?" She asked him with a laugh.

"Yes, but that was a while ago. Like a different stage of life. After we graduated, I went to this stage." Matt explained, pretty poorly at that. He was simply too stubborn.

She chuckled. "Uh huh... Sure." She teased him. "I'm gonna tell him you said that he came pre-attached-" She grinned, mischief in her tone.

"Don't you dare." Matt warned, but with a light undertone.

"I wonder how he'd react to that, hm? Or how offended Karen would be if you said she wasn't attached to you-" She laughed a bit.

Kasey shifted but stayed asleep, grasping at the hem of Matt's shirt, tugging on it slightly in her sleep as if trying to get him to lay back down.

"I would never hear the end of it. From either of them." Matt responded, turning his head towards Kasey. He worried that he'd spoken too loudly, and pulled the covers around her once more, tucking her in again.

She grasped at the covers when they reached her hands and bundled into a small ball next to him with a deep breath.

Claire chuckled softly at that. "Do you remember falling asleep?" She asked him after a moment, watching Kasey twitch a little but remain fast asleep.

"I..." He thought back, but shook his head. "No, not really."

She came over and sat in the chair by the bed. "We got her in bed and she asked you to cuddle with her." She told him. "I'm pretty sure that's what knocked you out. You were pretty tired already. You remember that?"

Matt nodded, remembering at least that much. "Yeah I remember that. I was pretty exhausted, I don't think I lasted much longer after that."

"Do you remember her asking you to sing?" She asked, a small smile on her face, remembering Kasey's sleepy voice asking him.

A thoughtful look crossed his face. It sounded familiar, but him? Singing? He really didn't remember that. "I think you're pulling my leg right now."

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm pretty sure she was mostly asleep when she asked though... And you didn't really sing at all, just hummed something for her. I think you were pretty much asleep too." She grinned.

Matt ran his hand over the back of his neck, trying to remember. He could almost remember feeling the hum in his throat, but that was about it. "Huh. Never thought I'd sing after leaving the church."

Claire let a small chuckle out at that. "So you "sang" for her until she finally passed out but..." She chuckled again, her smile widening a little again as she recalled it.

"It's a shame you don't really remember it cause it was the cutest thing... She mumbled in her sleep, telling you goodnight... but both when she asked you to sing and bid you goodnight?"

She let out a small laugh. "She referred to you as dad, Matt..." Her tone was warm and light. "She even mumbled a little "Love you."."

She was practically glowing as she recalled the memory. "But that's not all," She grinned at him. "You answered her back."

Matt didn't remember a single bit of any of that, but he could tell that Claire wasn't lying either. Which made him question a lot of things. "What did I answer her?"

"You said you loved her too and called her Kase when you said goodnight." She answered, still smiling.

"You can't convince me you haven't adopted her now, Matt."

Matt ran a hand down his face. He was screwed if that got out. He'd never hear the end of the jokes from Foggy, or the adoration for Karen. Oh god. He could basically hear Foggy begging him to do drunk karaoke.

"I'll pay you not to tell them." He joked, with a bit of humorous seriousness.

She wheezed with laughter at that. "With what exactly?" She teased back.

"A drink at Josie's that goes on my tab?" Matt offered with a smirk.

"As amazing as that sounds, no, you'll have to do better than that." She replied with a small laugh.

Matt felt Kasey stirring, making a small confused humming sound. "W-what????" She mumbled, still mostly asleep.

"You'd turn down a drink at Josie's? I'm offended-" He stopped short, hearing Kasey begin to stir. He panicked internally, running a hand over her back.

"Hey kiddo, sorry if I woke ya. Go ahead and try to get some more sleep." He urged her.

Kasey hummed when he rubbed at her back and curled back up. "M'kay dad..." She replied, her words a bit mixed together but understandable as she drifted back off.

Claire was grinning again. "I told you!" She quietly teased him.

Matt's eyes widened and he made a zipping motion across his mouth. "Not. A. Word."

She stifled her laughter, trying not to bother Kasey again. "What? Don't want anyone to find out you have a kid now?" She teased him, finding his flustered reaction greatly amusing.

"It's not that, I'm perfectly fine with having a kid. It's the fact that an enhanced teenager was dumped in my lap, and now I'm obligated to take care of her." He did not realize this was in fact not normal, and he just cared for her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you though? As far as I know, you made yourself obligated to take care of her." She pointed out.

"Are you saying all of this is my fault?" Matt questioned. By 'all of this' he just meant the relationship with Kasey. "...probably."

"Mhm. I think the moment you agreed to let her go shopping with you is the moment you adopted her." She laughed softly.

"You're the one who kept offering to keep her here." She also pointed out. "And offering to have her cover for you, and let her stay here as long as she wanted, and I do believe you were the one who wouldn't sit the hell down until I brought her over to you when I found the two of you on the floor-" She lightly tapped her fingers as she counted.

Matt waved his hands as if he was swatting at flies. "Okay okay! I get it." He chuckled, the pieces connecting. "I get it. Maybe I've adopted her."

"Maybe?" She replied, raising an eyebrow. "Try "absolutely did"." She teased him.

"Jeez. You want me to spell it out for you?" Matt asked with another chuckle.

"Maybe." She replied. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind that either." She glanced at Kasey who stirred again, blinking awake with another hum.

"Dad??" She mumbled tiredly as she pushed herself up a bit, rubbing at her face with a yawn. "What time is it??"

As she did, her brain slowly woke up more and she realized there were two people in the room so her brain did the next logical thing and greeted the other.

"Mom??" She tilted her head a bit in confusion before her brain finally processed that she was at Matt's and that it was Matt and Claire sitting there.

"Wait, no... Claire?" She asked, still a bit out of it and Claire quickly snapped out of her shock to respond.

"Y-Yeah. It's me. Are you feeling okay?" She asked, trying to push the shock and flustered feeling away.

She gave a small sleepy nod. "Sorry... I must've been pretty deeply asleep..."

Matt was shocked to hear her call him dad again, but then she called Claire 'mom' and he grinned. He'd nag her about that later. "You've been out for a good while now, but it's good. That means you're getting a good rest."

"I guess so..." She replied, rubbing at her eyes again. She slightly tilted her head in a bit of confusion. "It's... really quiet??"

Claire raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Like... I can hear you guys fine but I can't... I can't hear the other heartbeats on this floor? I can still kinda hear both of yours but that's it..."

"That's probably the suppressor. I think it's still activated." Matt hadn't thought of turning it off or taking it off.

"Oh... That makes sense..." She mumbled softly. "I... I think that's some of the best actual rest I've gotten since... since showing up here..." She noted.

"Well maybe we can see about keeping that thing around. If it helps you to sleep then I don't see the issue with it." Matt replied with a shrug.

She nodded in agreement. "I like that idea... It's really peaceful right now..." She noted as she shifted to lean against the headboard.

Claire glanced at Matt slightly but smiled at Kasey. "I'm glad. I think getting more sleep will help a lot of things. And actually restful sleep too."

Matt nodded in agreement. "I agree with Claire. That would probably help a lot."

Kasey hummed softly. "Considering I hardly get that? Yeah, probably." She stretched. "Where's Tony and Interweb?" She asked curiously.

Claire hesitated, glancing at Matt, unsure of how to approach that.

Matt frowned, having not wanted to have this conversation yet. He had hoped they'd be back any second now, but the longer they were gone, the more he wondered if they'd stay gone. "They haven't come back yet-"

Kasey turned to him, confused. "They... they haven't?" She asked. "Have they called?"

Claire hesitated but shook her head. "No..."

Kasey turned to her then back to Matt and looked at her lap in confusion. "How long have they been gone??"

"We're still waiting for them to call." Matt explained. "They've been gone the whole time we've been asleep." It had been well over a few hours.

Kasey took a shaky breath, swallowing thickly at that. "Not even Friday?"

Claire hesitated, unsure if she should mention it or not.

Matt knew that delaying the truth would only make things worse for them in the future. "Friday hasn't been able to put us through to Tony either."

"Friday can't even reach him?" She gripped the blanket in her hands, her eyes darting back and forth as she thought. "And I take it I'm not supposed to go help?" She asked softly.

Claire frowned. "Preferably not... It's just too risky."

Kasey sighed. "What about Spider-man?"

"Friday said there was no one available to help." Claire explained.

"So... they're just... on their own?" She asked them, her voice fearful and concerned.

Matt wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her. "That corporation wants you. You're not going. I'm sure Tony and Interweb are fighting there right now."

She leaned into him, a small whine coming from her. "But if Friday can't reach Tony... that's never happened before... at least that I know of..."

"They'll be out of there soon enough, I'm sure of it. They're both pretty stubborn." Matt told her lightly, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah but they've been designing ways to contain spider enhanced people and if Friday can't reach Tony then who knows if his suit is working..."

Matt sighed. Consoling her would be harder than he thought. "They'll be alright. Tony's clever, he may not even need his suit."

"But he can't fight normally for shit." She sighed, staying curled up against him. "I want to do something to help..."

"The most we can do right now is wait for them to call. The waiting is the worst part, but we cant do anything more." Matt told her, running his hand over her back in small circles.

"But what if they don't?"

Matt didn't know if she'd like his response. "I don't know."

She let out a shaky breath at that but stayed buried into his side, tears dripping down her face. "I'm scared..."

"I know." Matt knew this was hard on her. Her friend and previous guardian were in trouble, and there was nothing they could do to help. He refused to let her go out and get hurt again.

"Are we sure there's no one that can help?" She asked.

"Friday said there wasn't..." Claire confirmed.

"Unless you can think of anyone?" Matt asked. For all he knew, maybe there was someone tucked away at the tower that could help.

"I'd say Friday could but if she can't reach them then that's not a good idea to send her in- oh! Atlas, can you call Pepper?"

"Certainly!"

Kasey waited as the phone rang before it picked up.

"Hello?" Pepper Potts greeted her.

"Hi Miss Pepper-" Kasey replied. "It's Kasey, um, I know we haven't interacted much but you were the only person I could think to call. Tony and Interweb are in some trouble and need some help- spider-man is unavailable right now..."

"Have your AI send me the cords. I'll head over." Was her quick reply.

"Thank you Miss Pepper!" Kasey said relieved. "Please be careful, they're really dangerous-"

"Oh, they'll be the ones needing the warning, sweetheart." Was all she said before she hung up and Atlas sent her the cords.

Claire blinked. "I am expecting the place to be burned to the ground all of a sudden-"

Matt was surprised. He had heard of Pepper, and knowing a hint of her personality gave him some context. Suddenly he wasn't so sure those guys at the corporation were going to put up much trouble.